Episode 425 – How Many Hours a Day Do You Really Need to Homeschool?

Welcome back to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast!

This week we’re talking about how much time you really need to spend homeschooling each day. There can be a lot of pressure to think that homeschooling needs to take up most of the day, but does it really need to be an eight-hour-a-day job?

We’re going to talk about what a realistic homeschool day can look like and how much time you actually need to get the important things done.

We’re also going to continue talking about the things our listeners have told us they wish they could change about their homeschools. We’ve gotten some really interesting answers, so we’ll share some more of those and talk through some of the challenges and frustrations that homeschool families are dealing with.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for sponsoring the Smiling Homeschooler. We use and recommend Teaching Textbooks for anyone that wants a math curriclum that is fun and engaging! You can test out a free trial over at teachingtextbooks.com.

We also want to thank Samaritan Ministries and Redeem HealthShare. Where Members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through health care needs. As Todd likes to say, “We use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries. You can learn more about REDEEM HealthShare at Samaritanministries.org/familyma

Have a great week and don’t forget to smile! 

Episode Transcript

Hey, everyone.Welcome back to the Smiling Homeschooler podcast.My name is Ben Wilson, and this week we’re talking about how much time do you really need to spend homeschooling each day.There can be a lot of pressure to think that homeschooling needs to take up most of the day, but does it really need to be an 8houraday job?We’re gonna talk about what’s realistic and, uh, what a homeschool day actually can look like, and what the important things are during that day.We’re also gonna be continue talking about some of the things our listeners told us they wish they could change about their homeschooling, and we’ve gotten some really interesting answers, so we’ll share some of those, and talk through some of the challenges and frustrations that other homeschooling families are dealing with.Uh, before we begin, we just wanna say thank you to Teaching Textbooks for making all the Smiling Homeschooler possible.They’re an amazing math curriculum.They’re the fa- the curriculum that our family use and we’ve recommended for, um, literal decades at this point.So if you haven’t checked ’em out, you should.You can get a free trial over at teachingtextbooks.com.We also wanna thank, uh, Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share, where members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through healthcare needs.As my dad, Todd, likes to say, we use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries, and you can learn more about Redeem Health Share at samaritanministries.org/familyman, or you can click the link in the show notes.Uh, but all right, Dad, let’s g- go ahead and get started.Well, hey, everybody.Uh, we have started the migration, or we’re about ready to start our migration, as we areBy the time you’re listening to this, uh, we’re h- beginning to head to Florida for our vacation, family vacation.It’s always a lot of fun.Uh, as we mentioned last week, I think, or some time, um, uh, uh, we’re taking 5 different cars down.Yep.Well, you’re mentioning it next week, and you mentioned it last week.So this will be the third mention of it.So, well- So we won’t say it againit’s okay.I, I lose track.Um, so but, uh, Ike and Carolyn a- and their daughter Jane, they begin tomorrow morning, bright and early, as they’re gonna go to Tampa.And then, uh, Ben and Rissa leave on Thursday evening.Evening.Yep.And then, uh, Sam and McKennaUh, no.Then, uh, m- I’m going with the couple, 2, 3 boys as we’re pulling down our camper for the first time, and we’re leaving Friday morning.Sam’s leaving Satur- Friday afternoon, and Kat, or Maggie and Josh are leaving on Friday afternoon, I think.Um, my wife is leaving Saturday evening, uh, Sa- Saturday afternoon.She’s flying down, and she’s lookingShe’s taking the easy way.And then, uh-Kat and Josh and their kids are staying home.Yep.So, um, because they’re gonna have a baby in, uh, I think a little over a month.And they’re just a little nervous about going down, so I don’t blame them.Um, but, uh- So-it’s always harrowing- Yeahto start that journey.It is.But I do actuallyI mean, I know, you know, there’s always a possibility of problems, and if big problems happen, it’s a lot less fun.But, uh, until that happens, I do actually enjoy the, the trip now at this point.It just feels fun.It feels like you’re getting prepped for a vacation.And actually, I was watching a video, and we’ll talk more, more about this maybe offline at some point.But the guy was talking about how he moved down to Florida to be, uh, near Disney and Universal and all these other things down there, and he just said, basically, he’s like, he’s like, “I don’t regret it.You can move to Florida, but you can’t move to vacation,” you know?And I thought that was a great- Mmuh, a great kinda way of putting it, is, uh, you just can’t ever, you know, capture that feeling by moving somewhere else.But anyways, uh- There you goyou know, the thing I was gonna say is what do you think, what are, what are the some of your favorite parts of a good road trip, you know?What do you look forward to- Oh, yeahor enjoy, or maybe what’s a favorite song on a road trip for you?Um, I mean, uh, and we have listened to, ’cause we’ve traveled a lot, and, uh, we’ve recorded, um, lots of CDs that we’ve downloaded different things back in the day.And we had Willie Nelson On the Road Again, you know, uh, Johnny Cash, I’ve Been Everywhere.we used to, like, when we would travel, you know, we knew we were gonna go to certain areas, and I would pick out songs, uh, that were kind of from that place.Like Houston with, uh, Dean Martin, and, uh, The Alamo with Marty Robbins, I think, or somebody like that, and they were just such fun songs.Um, but, uh, you know, uh, when we did Route 66, I think I had every version imaginable of Route 66.And, uh- Yeahyou know what I mean?The, the Cars music, the whatever that opening- Life is a Highway?Yeah, that’s a good oneLife is a Highway.That, that, it doesn’t get much better than that.Yeah.Usually it starts out that doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, woo.You know?And, uh- Yeahthat just feels good.Um, I don’t know.Uh, but I love the whole driving thing.I mean, I’ve gotI don’t know if they’re here on my, umI’m looking, scanning my shelves.I used to have these, uh, old, uh, uh, kind of games you could play- Mmyou know, when you’re on the road.And I loveI was talking to Ben’s kids.Uh, I said, “Are you gonna play the”Oh, uh, ’cause was it Anders?He says he likes to play the guessing game, I think- Mmwhen they’re going down on the road.But I like where you try to find all the license plates from the different states.Then, uh, alphabet, or I don’t know what that’s called, but where you find the, you know, A, you gotta find that on a sign.Then you go B, and then, you know, go all the way through.Um, I just- YeahI love the whole- The whole sh- Yeah.Niceball of wax.I, personally, and this is a guy thing probably, but one of my favorite parts now is I like pilot rest stops.There’s just something reassuring about-like they’re always the same.You can count on them.That’s true.You know, it’s just that’s where we always stop and get gas along the way.Mm-hmm.Um, but I just, I don’t know, it’s just really fun.And I, I love the drive down, I hate the drive back, ’cause the drive back just gives you 18 hours of just sitting in your own depression all the way back, you know.So, uh, back to reality, so.Nothing to greet you except- Yeah, exactlythe harsh reality of life.I mean, we live in northern Indiana, so it’s kinda fun.I, I do like, like how there’s like checkpoints also.I, I’m, I’m like a goal guy.Like, I like seeing like, okay, so it’s like, okay, we hit Indianapolis- Yeahand then we hit Louisville, and then we hit Nashville- Nashvilleand then we hit Chattanooga, and then we hit A- Atlanta, and then we hit Florida, and then you hit Orlando, you know, or whatever.And so it’s just nice to be able to check the boxes off.But, um, so yeah, it’s, I’m, I’m looking forward to it.So, again- Plus I just think there’s so much to see.Yeah.I love the road.I you know, stopping at McDonald’s and getting- Yepdrinks or, you know, just eating in the car and, you know.It’s harder when you have kids.I mean, I can remember some of those trips there and back where our kids were sick, and, you know, it was hard- Yepand- Oh, yeah.That’s- That’s not fun.But on the way down, there’s just that anticipation- Truethat builds all the way there.I like that.Yep.It is fun.But we should get into our main topic.So, um, we’ll, we’ll start off for the first part was just, you know, I think, um, this is obviously a big change, but there’s just a lot of pressure, I think, for people, especially people who are maybe used to the normal school system or, you know, only ever experienced, uh, you know, public school or private school, which is, you know, to be frank, the vast majority of people, um, of that there just needs to be a lot of time spent in the day of homeschooling.You know, if, if we’re not doing a certain X amount, then we’re probably not doing enough, and that kind of feels like that’s the, you know, the bar that has to be cleared to make a day feel like a, um, an accom- you know, it’s like a- accomplished a lot.You know, and obviously in, and at least in the US, I honestly, I don’t know what it is in other countries, but, you know, I mean, those kids, when I go to work at 7:30 and leave in the morning, they’re getting on the bus to go to school, and then they get off, you know, 3:00 or whatever it is.So I guess, I mean, do you hear that a lot when you’re out, you know, talking to moms of just like- Oh, obviouslyyou know, how much do I need to do, and what’s the, what’s the, what, you know, is it, is it enough if I’m only doing a few hours in the morning or a couple hours in the morning?And w- you know, where do, where do you think we should go from there?I, I don’t know where we should go from there, but I know that it feels like the wrong measuring stick.Mm-hmm.I mean, you don’t like, you know, when you have a good meal, you don’t say, “Oh, it was a good meal because I ate a long time.”You know, you just, you measure it differently.I know Mom, when I would ask her, uh, way back in the day, I’d say, you know, “Are, are you hungry yet?”And she’d go, she’d start counting on her fingers because she would like count the hours from lunch till dinner.And if it was not those 5 hours, then apparently she wasn’t hungry anymore.And it just felt like the wrong measurement that you’d li- you’d just wanna go, you know, “Have you l- you know, have you eaten yet?Are you hungry?”You know?And I think the same thing for learning, that I think to quantify it and say, “Well, because we spent this m- this many hours doing it, therefore we’ve learned.”Yeah.And I have just never felt that way.I never feel that way.I always, honestly, I believe almost in maybe every circumstance, shorter is better, um, when it comes to learning, when it comes to teaching, when it comes to anything.I mean, if you can say it in a short amount of time, I mean, even good things when you do them for a long time, you know, like we like, you know, Lord of the Rings movies or Avengers movies, you can only go a certain amount of time and then you do start to fatigue, you know?Oh, yeah.And, but- Okay.Don’t say something crazyI mean, who can imagine- No, I’m just kidding.Who can imagine like the, the 4hour movie?I get it.I don’t know, maybe you could.Yeah.Um, but you know, it just like, it, it, your brain can’t take in any more.Mm-hmm.And for especially a kid, um, you know, it doesn’t take very long before- Yeahyou start to fatigue.I mean, they’ll, they, even like a show like Bluey and, uh, you know, y- and they make them in sm- small segments as opposed to a 2hour Yeahshow every day.Well, I actually looked that up earlier, um, before, um, um, like before we, or before the, we started this, just ’cause I wanted to see, like, what are the attention spans?You know, like, what is like a good estimation?And again, these are all just, you know, experts, so who, what do they know, you know?But, um- Nothingbut I do feel like it is interesting and kind of gives you a baseline.But it says for, you know, little kids, I mean you’re talking like sub 5, they say 5 to 15 minutes is like, um, is per activity.Not even like learning, but just like per thing they’re doing, you know?It doesn’t usually last for longer than that.They say ages, you know, 5 to 7, it’s just 10 to 20 minutes per thing, you know, or lesson.And, and, and like they’re like one to 2 hours total of daily, uh, engagement, including play, you know, for something like that, so.And then like older than that, it’s like 15 to 30 minutes, all the way up to like high school is like 30 to 45 minutes maybe.And then I also looked up just in general, you know, what is- Ohwhat is like a good, like an adult, like realistically h- like high intensity, true learning, like can you do in a day of like focus?And it’s like maybe 3 or 4 hours, you know, is what they would say.Um, and again, who knows who these people are, what their methods are, all that kinda stuff.But I think it does highlight thatAnd I, and I know school’s not high intensity the whole time.All you’re doing is just, you know, 3 to 5 hours of non-stop focus, but, and they try to break it up with, you know, other things.But the reality is- Yeah, but school is not for, but it’s not just for learning.Right.I mean, if you said to the school, you know, if as a parent, if you said, “Hey, I’m getting ready to go to work” and I’m like, “Hey, we’re gonna, we’re gonna teach your kids for an hour and 45 minutes, then you’re gonna have to come and pick them up again.”Right.Totally.They would never do it.They gotta keep them all day long- Rightbecause that’s the way it works, you know?It’s not just babysitting, but it’s keeping, it’s keeping them busy and out of trouble.Mm-hmm.So, you know, they just fill it up, you know?And I, and I’ve said this before, but I can remember even as a kid in, uh, public school, elementary probably age, thinking, “Man, this is a waste of time.”Be- not because it wasn’t important, but you waste so much time moving around and I’m, I’m like, “Why don’t they just like condense this into like 15 minutes and then send us home?”Yeah.And there’s a reason they can’t.Right.Because, you know, parents need their kids to be gone.And so, but that says why do we follow that, you know, if that’s not the same, for the same reason?Yeah.Totally.But realistically, you know, it’s just, um, well one, I think it’s just the model, but 2, I think that it does feel like, well, more is often defined as better.As if I, if I spend time, then I’m doing a lot and I’m not failing.It’s like, well, you know, I don’t know if I’m doing enough or not, but I spent t- you know, an hour on math and an hour on science and an hour on s- writing and all that, and so I must have done a good job, you know?But I would s- really push back hard on that, that I just do not think that is an indicator.Um, and I don’t feel like you need to feel bad if things only take 15 or 20 minutes, you know, for your kid to do stuff.And you know, we always talk about Teaching Textbooks, which is, you know, our sponsor, but it is the math curriculum I use.It’s what my daughter uses.And you know, and these guys areAnd, and again, credentials don’t all matter for everything, but they are h- you know, Harvard educated guys, you know?They’re, they’re smart guys.They, you know, they know their stuff, um, who developed Teaching Textbooks.And their lessons aren’t like an hour long, you know?These are, they’re, they’re in, they’re digestible.They’re pretty short, you know?Because that’s just how you learn.You don’t need to spend tons of time.So I really think, you know, and e- even my wife was asking the other day, she’s like, “I mean, spelling for Ren Lee only took like 15-ish minutes.I don’t know if that was enough or not.”And it’s like, yes, if she’s doing all the stuff you want her to do and it only takes 15 minutes, then great, you know?I, I just- Mm.genuinely don’t think it’s gonna be more effective, um, to just add another 30 minutes of spelling to that or whatever it may be.In fact, I was, I was trying to, uh, a little bit earlier I was trying to, um, read a, uh, uh, or find out how to make part of a craft, and I was trying to find a YouTube video for this one little part, and it was like 7 minutes.And I’m like, “Ah, I can’t watch 7 minutes.”And so, you know, I like fast-forwarded to the part that I wanted, and it was about 3 minutes, and that’s really all I needed.Um, and it, a- and again, that’s the way every single person, I shouldn’t say every single, every normal person, uh, learns.Um, you never, if you’re, again, if you’re just trying to learn something, you know, and it’s introductory, you’re gonna go find an easy way to learn that in a short amount of time that has a lot of punch, you know, and is memorable.Maybe later on when you wanna know the intricacies of it, I mean, if you wanna learn to change your oil, you don’t need to, to know how oil is manufactured and how it’s drilled out of the earth.You just wanna know where your oil filter is and what size- Mm-hmmand how to reach it, you know?And I think that’sAnd that leads to exploration.So when you’re doing a lot of school, you’re just kind of exposing them to the, to new things and fun things, and then, uh, you know, the real learning takes place afterwards where they go, “Oh, I wanna learn.”Like, like Ben and his brothers, they would, used to do, uh, uh, military insignias, you know, and ranks, and they wouldWe of course didn’t touch, touch upon it in, in our school, but we talked, maybe talked about generals, and they wanted to know what they, what, what the stripes looked like.And they would make, Ben would make these little stripes, you know, and know all the different, uh, insignias.That he did it on his own.That’s real learning.But realistically, I mean, just so you have some, you know, nuts and bolts, I mean, through my whole, you know, life of homeschooling, I was all the way from the beginning to the end, and I also did my, uh, degree essentially homeschooled, at home.Um, that did take more.I did put, end up putting more hours in generally than a couple.But through the whole thing, I never, I don’t think realistically I ever did more than a couple hours a day, would be my guess, at the most.Yeah.I mean, maybe slightly more, you know, in high school, but, um, typically it just didn’t take all day and, and I think I’m relatively functional, so, uh, and, you know, all my siblings are.And, uh, we just, we just didn’t put the long hours in, you know?We had other people in our lives who’s, you know, put inI mean, late at night they’re working on it, all day long they’re working on it.They had tests they had to get done, all that stuff.They’re super smart kids, too, but you know what?In the end, we’re all functioning adults and, and a lot of that extra stuff, I just, I think it just adds a lot to the day and, uh, stresses everyone out.And I don’t think you’re that smart anyway.That’s true.I just didn’t think you were that smart, so.Plus, you know, I think when you do it for real long like that, it, it, it can cause you to take, take a long time.So, you know, I hear parent- moms all the time say, “You know, my, my son starts in the morning and he just drags his feet and he’s doing it, he has to do it all afternoon.”‘Cause I’m like, and I think the answer is because what does it matter?It takes a long time anyway.If you just make it a short little punch and, you know, and it takes 15 minutes, everybody can accomplish that, and then you move on.Yeah.So this’d be a good time for a commercial.Yeah.Again, I already talked about it, but Teaching Textbooks, I really do think it is extremely engaging.It’s independent, so your child can do it without you having to sit there the whole time if you’d like them to.Um, it is inIt’s short, you know, it doesn’t take super, super long.Um, and they have to interact with it the whole time, so they’re having to learn while doing it, and then, uh, you can see how they did and all of that stuff, uh, really easily.Um, and you can check out a free trial over at teachingtextbooks.com.We’d really encourage you to do that.And whether you like it or not, fall is here with winter not far behind.Healthcare problems can sneak up us, on us just like that.We’d like to ignore it, pretend it won’t be a problem, but then something happens and it’s gotta be faced.That’s why today’s a good time to check out Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share.It’s Christians helping other Christians pay one another medi- one another’s medical bills.For over 15 years we’ve been members and love being part of it, and I’m telling you, it works.So if you’ve been ignoring the feeling that your family needs a change when it comes to healthcare, take a deep breath and get started at samaritanministries.org/familyman.All right, so, uh, 1, we had, a couple weeks ago we talked about some of the things that, uh, areActually, I think it was actually, let’s see- Last weekthis episode is, yeah, so this episode, it’s coming up tomorrow, so this was last week.We talked about the things that homeschooling moms, uh, our listeners wish they could change about their homeschool.Um, and we got through a lot of those answers.They were great.But we had some more that we wanted to do.So I, I, I don’t think we did this one, Dad, and you can go back and forth, but- OkayI think it was Heather.I don’t know if we s- had this one, but, “I would change certain people’s opinion about how I need to school my children.No, my 4yearold does not need to sit down and do hours of paperwork every day.”I just thought that was very relevant and, uh, very true.Unfortunately, you can’t change the opinions, but again, did we talk about that one?Exactly.And we did talk about it last week.Okay, shoot.Well, I thought it was a good 1 Uh, so it’s okaybecause it, it, uh, lined up well.Yeah.So I think- You should also read the other Heathers, ’cause that also lines up with today, that we were talking about.Where’s Heathers?Oh, money for traveling.”Mm-hmm.”We learn so much and make so many memories through travel.”I, I mean, amen and amen.But, you know, I think, um, sometimes I think, uh, that is a fallacy maybe that we think if we had more moneyAnd of course if we had more money, we could go farther places, you know?You could, uhBut I’m just always amazed at how where there’s a will, there’s a way, you know?There’s so much to see, even in a short distance.Um, I remember theAnd, and talk about long distances, there are cheap ways to do some of those, too.Uh, I remember when we, we, when we first went to Hawaii for the first time, we stayed at a state i- in Oahu.And I mean, I think our, we stayed in a house.We had a whole house to ourself.It was like $157 a night.It was, like, so cheap.Of course, we had to bring our own toilet paper, our own sheets, and everything else.But, uh, you know, if you wanna, if you like camping, you could camp at the state parks in- Yeahthe state park in Hawaii.You could go to Walmart when you get there, buy your tent, and then throw it away at the end.Uh, you can, and you can camp for pla- at places for free, and, and so there are a lot of opportunities to do those things.And again, there’s just so much around us.Um, but I think the cool part, and maybe you would say this too, Ben, you know, the things that I will always remember will not necessarily be the, just the places we saw, but the times that we did in the travel- Mmand in being together.I mean, I’ll never forget hot Walmart n- nights where we spent in Walmarts where it was raining, or you could barely breathe, or- Yeahyou know, and watching Andy Griffith for the umpteenth 1000000th time, and hearing the kids giggle and, you know, eat popcorn and- Yeahthat’s, that’s the good part.Yeah.And there’s, and there’s not a lot of cost involved in some of that.Yeah.I mean, yeah, it, it, I do agree, it does feel expensive, but, um, I doYeah, there are a lot of things that are closer, and they may not be the Hawaiis, but they’re stillYou can still make great memories, as you said, through travel.Mm-hmm.And, uh, it is hard, but the hard stuff is also often what stands out in your mind, you know?I mean, the, the things that are just, like, smooth sailing where your brain’s just in normal coasting mode, you oftentimes don’t remember those things, you know?So it is those hard- Mm-hmmmoments that really do stick out.Um- And it is kind of amazing to me, people who live in places where we’ve been and visited, um, th- there are so many of those people who live there who had never been to those places.You know?So there are probably, uh, lots of places you can visit.Even though I did see on The Babylon Bee today, they were talking about, uh, 10 great reasons about living in Indiana, and it says, “No one will come to visit you for a vacation”-was one of them.Yeah.Ow.That’s- Ownot wrong.So, um- Got to keep movingyeah, so that was a good one.Uh, let’s see here.Um- I th- I thought Ca- Kaylee or Callie said, “My consistency.”You know, and I know that’s a, aA- again, I think that’s one of those things that we have been, uh, shown to, or, or people have said about us, that we need to be consistent in order to whatever.I just don’t know very many consistent people.Um, you know, I m- I mean, everybody struggles.There’s al- especially if you’re doing something important, you know?And not just in, in school, but other things do arise that, that you need to be not consistent in.You know, you need to say, “Hey, we need to take a break because we’re doing something even more important than doing our math facts today.”Mm-hmm.Um, but I get it.But, and we all struggle with that.Um- Yeahand it’s just hard.But that’s the beauty of homeschooling, because it’s part of life.Not, not, not a public institution where you go and you do something from, whatever, 8 to 3:30 every day.Yeah.I mean- So you’re not aloneit, yeah, it is, it is tough.But it do- I mean, the inconsistency is almost more consistent than the in- than the consistency.Exactly.Um- Exactlyfor sure.Um, I thought that, uh, Nicole’s here said, “My attitude- Uh-huhwhen the kids get frustrated.I’d love to have more patience.”Um, you- Me toopreach that.Good luck.I would love that for all it’s worth.Uh, that is, you know, probably the thing that I most wish I had total self-control, but, you know, unfortunately this side of heaven, I am not perfect.I, you know, I pray for patience constantly, so, umBut I would say, you know, you’re gonna blow it, you know, and every parent knows that, but just keep telling your kids you’re sorry.Um, apologize- Yeahyou know, if you did blow it.Um, and just ask them to forgive you, and I really think that does go a massive, massive way, um, uh- And maybe that’s even- ‘Cause that’s shockinga better qualitya lot of my friends and people around me, their parents never ever, ever, ever told them they were sorry for anything- Mmyou know?And, um, and I don’t know, that’s something that Mom and Dad instilled in us.You know- Yeahthey did that to us, and I think it really was fruitful.Yeah.And maybe, and like I was starting to say, maybe that’s even more important.Maybe it’s more important to learn h- how to ask forgiveness than it is just to be patient.Um, because it isI mean, patience, sometimes you just have to be numb and need to, uh, all the cer- you know, to what’s going on, because it is hard when you’re trying to do something and your kid’s going, “Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom,” or, you know, whatever.And, uh, and I know it’s one of the fruit of the spirit, and I’m not saying you can’t have it, but I mean- Yeahwhat a great thing- Maybe something to strive foryou, you can ask forgiveness.Mm-hmm.And I think, like Ben said, that, that seems to be a great equalizer and smoothed a lot of this stuff out.I did think it was funny is we had multiple people, uh, Sandy, Amber, I think I saw another one up there.Oh, Joan.Joan.They all said, “The maid and the janitor should be doing a better job.”Uh- Yeahyou know?My wife is an amazing, uh, she does such a good job in staying on top of her house.But that being said, um, and actually I was talking to an employ- uh, one of my coworkers today, we got lunch together, and he was just saying, “Oh, there’s just so many things to do.I just feel so overwhelmed by all this stuff.”And I was like, “I feel like this year even I’ve kinda come to terms with,” and I think Dad kinda pushed me on this a little bit, was just like, “There’s so many things I wanna get done,” but I was like, “I’m never going to regret someday and be like, ‘Man, I really should have weeded more as a, you know, as I had my kids at home.'”I’m, I’m like, “I just need to not worry too much about it’s gonna get rough, my house isn’t gonna be as good as I hope, uh, my yard’s gonna look rough.You know, there’s gonna be a lot of things on our to-do list, but at least I spent a lot of time with the kids and I, it, I didn’t let those things come in, in, in the way.”Um, uh, so yes, it would be great to have it all, you know, perfect, but you know, you’re doing an amazing thing by homeschooling, and if you’re putting that first and some of the janitorial duties fall to the wayside from time to time, or all the time, um, I think that is a worthwhile trade.Personally, as a dad and a husband, I would, I’m fine- Uhwith my wife, uh, not being able to take care of it all.Well, and even, you know, I was r- I was reading something that I had written, uh, years ago, and I’m just gonna read a little bit of it, uh, because it was about Mrs.G, or Mrs.Griswold, um, who’s, uh, over 90 years old.And I wrote, “I got a perspective changer yesterday.It came from Mrs.G.You see, most every Tuesday for the last dozen years I had breakfast with her husband.Then he had the nerve to leave us and head on to heaven.I don’t have breakfast with, breakfast with Mrs.G as often, but every few weeks we go to McDonald’s and sit in our seats.Yesterday was one of those mornings.I was talking about all our bikes and junk when she said, ‘I miss seeing bikes leaning against the garage door.’ I half thought she was joking, but I could tell by her voice that she meant it.’The other day,’ she continued, ‘I found a handprint on the door or wall left by my grandson, and it looked good.’ That’s when I knew she’d delivered a message from God to me.All the junks, junk, bikes, and dirty handprints are valuators of a good life.Afterwards, I pulled in the driveway and saw all this stuff displayed in its usual early American slum way, and I felt grateful.”Yeah.And I said, “Dad, or Mom, when you see the piles of bikes, the dirty fingerprints, and the mountains of trash, you should too.Thanks, Mrs.G.We needed that.”And I think that’s a good place to stop.That is a good place.You know, um, and so, uh, embrace the mess, embrace the inconsistency, embrace the chaos, um, because one day it’ll be gone.Um, but we’re on vacation, so we don’t even care what you do for the next week.Um, and if you think of us, uh, it looks like the Beverly Hillbillies, the Clampetts go to Hollywood, uh, think about us, uh, say a quick prayer, and we’d sure appreciate it.But, uh, have a great week, and maybe plan a little, I don’t know, fall break yourself, and have a, a great afternoon, a great day, um, or just maybe, you know, go get the Spin for Smiles game, uh, at our website and add some fun to your life.And do it, and, uh, you know, don’t forget to smile.All right.Thanks everyone for joining us.We appreciate you being here.Um, we haven’t said it in a while, maybe we can do an episode on it here coming up, but, uh, if you haven’t done the homeschool personality test, you should- Mmover on our website.It’s free.Um, it just helps you kinda better understand how you approach homeschooling, and it can be a really fun thing to do with your other homeschool mom friends.Uh, so if you’ve got a, you know, a group chat or, uh, you know, a co-op and they haven’t done it, you should do it with them, ’cause it’s kind of just a fun thing to talk about.Um, and again, you can do that at thesmilinghomeschooler.com.Again, thank you to Teaching Textbooks for making this all possible.Go support them, um, if you haven’t already.Uh, if you have any questions, you can reach out to them.They have great customer sup- service.Uh, and you can check out a free trial at teachingtextbooks.com.And again, thank you to Samaritan Ministries and Redeem Health Share, where members are committed to honoring Christ and serving one another through healthcare needs.As my dad, Todd, likes to say, we use, love, and recommend Samaritan Ministries, and you can learn more about Redeem Health Share at samaritanministries.org/familyman, or again, you can click the link in the show notes if you’re listening to this.So, uh, thank you for all for being here each and every week.We appreciate you, and don’t forget to smile.See you next week.